Living Soli Deo Gloria – to the Glory of God Alone

Introduction: Soli Deo Gloria

This morning I’ll be finishing a sermon series through five of the major points that prompted the Protestant Reformation. We’ve seen Sola Scriptura – that Scripture Alone is the final rule for the faith and practice of the church. And over the last three weeks, I’ve made the case from the Bible, that we are indeed made right with God through faith alone, in Christ alone, by God’s grace alone. But this morning, we’ll be looking at issue number five – the last one. The Reformers argued that the salvation of sinners, and every other aspect of our lives, should be to the glory of God alone. Soli Deo Gloria was the Latin phrase for this – to the glory of God alone.

So if you have a Bible nearby, please turn with me to Ephesians, Chapter 1. I’ll read verses 3 through 14 for us in a moment, but before I do, please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

To Whom Should We Give Credit? (Soli Deo Gloria)

Imagine that there’s a person who’s trapped in a burning building. They’re unconscious, lying there helplessly on the floor because of the smoke and fumes. But then, all of a sudden, a firefighter chops through the wall with an axe. And he picks up this victim from the floor. He staggers through the haze and the rubble, and carries this unconscious person out of the house, just as the roof collapses.

Now – who’s the hero in this situation? This isn’t a trick question. Of course, it’s the firefighter. He’s the hero! He exerted 100% of the effort that made this rescue possible. And out of all the people in the community, you’d expect the rescued person to become this firefighter’s #1 fan – to be the most thankful – to be absolutely gushing with compliments and words of praise.

But what would you think if instead, this person started to boast that he had saved himself? Think about how insulting that would be, if this victim tried to downplay what the firefighter had done in order to steal some of the limelight for himself. How would that sit with you?

From this little example, it probably seems obvious that that sort of behavior is bizarre and rude – out-of-touch with reality, even. And yet this is precisely the way that we often treat God. We tend to view ourselves as the heroes of our own life story. We want to take credit for the good things that happen to us. We want to be celebrated alongside of our Rescuer, as though we contributed something to our salvation. We have a warped way of thinking, that assumes that the world should revolve around us.

But by living this way we sin against the God who made us. And we insult the One who has intervened to save us. You and I aren’t the heroes of human history (or even of our own personal history). Honor and credit should go to God alone – Soli Deo Gloria.

And this was a concern at the time of the Reformation. Because, as we’ve seen over the past several weeks – Roman Catholic doctrine suggested that there were other heroes, who had some role to play in saving us – rather than the glory going exclusively to God (Soli Deo Gloria). The Roman church taught that salvation depends, at least in part, on us – on how well we cooperate with God – or it partly depends on the virgin Mary and the saints, and the degree to which they help us receive saving mercy. Or it partly depends on an earthly priest, and the ongoing infusion of saving grace into people through the sacraments. In a variety of subtle ways, Roman Catholic teaching and practice functionally stole attention and credit from God, by claiming that other heroes or side-kicks had necessary roles in giving us salvation or in keeping us saved. And as you can imagine, this was an issue that deeply troubled the Reformers. This is why they emphasized Soli Deo Gloria. Because they were convinced, rightly, that the preaching and practice of the Church – and the whole life of the Christian – should be lived out to the glory of God alone.

And in our text this morning, we’ll see why this was such an important priority to them. Ephesians, Chapter 1, deals with the matter of of Soli Deo Gloria – and I’ll explain how this idea is developed by working through three main points. First, we’ll reflect on the Provision of grace that God has given us in Christ. Second, we’ll consider the purpose of God, and how his purpose alone is the basis for his saving work. And then third, we’ll consider the Praise of his glory, as the ultimate goal God has in saving us – the praise of God’s glory alone (Soli Deo Gloria). So again, as we work through the text, my three points will be the provision of grace, the purpose of God, and the praise of His glory.

Provision of Grace

So first, the provision of grace. You may remember, from a few weeks ago – when the Bible speaks about grace, it’s speaking about unearned favor. It’s something that’s freely given. It’s a gift.

And God gave this part of the Bible – he gave the book of Ephesians to us through a special servant chosen by Christ, the apostle Paul. Paul was writing this letter to Christians in a church that he had helped start in the ancient city of Ephesus. And one of the main things Paul wanted to emphasize in this letter was God’s grace. He wanted the good news of God’s grace to lead them into worship, humility, love, and godly living. So as Paul opens this letter, he starts by reminding these Christians about the great provision of grace that they have been supplied with.

You’ll see, right away in verse 3, Paul first draws attention to who the provider of that grace is. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us…” In the same way that grace is an unearned gift – like a Christmas present, or like a “bringing-flowers-home-to-my-wife-simply-because-I-love-her present” – a blessing is the same sort of thing. Blessings aren’t earned. They’re freely given. And the provider of this blessing – the provider of saving grace here, is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And verse 3 goes on to explain how God has given these blessings: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ…” If you have Christ – if you’ve been joined to him through faith, by entrusting your life to him, then that means you have the blessings of God. If you have the well, then you have the water. God the Father blesses us in Christ.

And it’s important to remember here, Jesus Christ himself is God. He’s the perfect Son of God. He’s truly divine & always has been, yet God the Son uniquely came down to earth. He took on a human nature like ours, so that he could represent us, and act on our behalf – so that he could suffer for the penalty of our sins, and then raise us up with him to enjoy God’s blessings forever. And since Jesus Christ is God, this means that our salvation comes both from God and through God. Saving grace comes to us from God the Father, and through the special ministry of God the Son. The credit belongs to God alone (Soli Deo Gloria).

But what has God blessed us with? What kinds of blessings are we talking about here? Well verse 3 goes on to say that “[He] has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” Make sure you let this sink in. In Christ, the Christian has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

I’m sure many of you are aware, in Kentucky there’s a place called Fort Knox. For a long time now, Fort Knox has been the place where the US Government has housed huge quantities of gold. The vaults there are loaded with stacks of gold bars – pure, 24 karat gold. Based on today’s market values, it’s estimated that there’s nearly 460 billion dollars’ worth of gold housed in that one location.

But imagine if the vaults were opened. Imagine if someone brought the full supply of gold from Fort Knox to your doorstep! $460 billion of pure gold! Here you go – all for free! I think that’d register on your radar as something significant.

I hope you realize, though, in Christ, something even greater has been brought to our doorstep. The vaults of heaven itself have been thrown open! The fantastically vast, everlasting treasures of heaven have been hauled to our front door – every last one of them. The King of heaven has taken it upon himself to bless us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ. The value of this isn’t something you can measure in dollars and cents.

And though the scope of the grace that God has provided to us, in Christ, extends much further then we can imagine – there are a number of specific blessings from God that Paul mentions, here, in verses 3 through 14.

For one thing, God blessed the Ephesian church, and he blesses Christians like you and I, by initiating and choosing to show us saving mercy. In verse 4, Paul specifically mentions that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

In verse 5, we’re reminded about the blessing of adoption – that God determined ahead of time, in love, to make us his children. Even when he knew our background – even though he knew how selfish and defiled we were in our sin, God traveled to us. He paid the full legal costs that were necessary. He now calls us his own sons and daughters. The place in the family he has given us is permanent.

And as adopted children, now, God has pledged himself to be a Father to us – the perfect Father – to love us, to provide for us, to protect us. We have a Father who teaches us, and comforts us. He disciplines us, for our growth and maturity. He remains committed to our welfare, even when everyone else has left us alone. In every respect, we’re given the rights and the relationship of sonship in the family of God. This is a blessing God has granted to us in Christ.

And Paul mentions two more blessings in verse 7. “In him, we have redemption through his blood.” Full payment has been made through the sacrifice of Jesus, to set us free from sin. And we also have received “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” We have been released from the burden of our sins at the cross. The paperwork recording our guilt has all been sent through the paper shredder. It’s forgiven. Why, because of how perfect you were at confessing your faults? Because of how many good deeds you put on the scale to outweigh your bad deeds? Is forgiveness something that you and I have earned? Not at all. It’s a blessing – a gift from God – that flows to us according to the riches of his grace.

But Paul has other spiritual blessings he wants to mention. In verse 9, he points out that God’s decision to reveal himself, and to reveal the way of salvation is a special act of grace to us. In verse 10, he marvels over the divine work that was done, to reconcile and reunite God and sinners. In verse 11, we’re reminded that God has prepared an inheritance for us. And in verses 13 and 14, we’re reminded that God has given us the blessing of his own Holy Spirit – to guide us, to empower us, and to be “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” We have been supplied with tremendously expansive blessings. And they richness of these things is supplied entirely from God and through God. That much is clear.

Purpose of God

But Paul doesn’t want there to be any confusion as to why these blessings have come to us. He specifies what it was that compelled God to show us this grace. God was compelled by himself. He decided to bless us in Christ purely because of his own choice – his own purpose. And this brings us to my second point, concerning the purpose of God.

Paul wants to make sure we understand why God is engaged in saving sinners. It’s not because we have pried open his reluctant hands, and have snatched some sort of treat from his hand. It’s not because we’ve made a deal with God, or because we’ve figured out a way to manipulate him. Instead, God blesses and he saves according to his own purpose. It’s his decision.

Look at what Paul says in verse 5: “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” The text is clear here, God’s decision to bless came about because that’s what he desired – it came about according to the purpose of his will. In verses 9 and 10, Paul mentions the same sort of idea. We’re told that God made “…known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ…” Again, God’s will, which has been set forth in Christ and his saving work – it’s all driven and directed by God himself. And in verse 11, Paul repeats this idea a third time: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” The fact that Paul is repeating this point should catch our attention.

Today when people want to emphasize something, they might write their message down in all caps, or they might underline a word, or put it in bold. But back when the Bible was written, if an idea was important, you repeated it. That’s what Paul’s doing here. He really wants us to understand that God’s decision to bless us is driven by God’s own purpose. And this should prompt us to wonder – why? Why is Paul so intent on emphasizing this point?

Well, part of this was probably because Paul wanted to make sure that the Ephesians had a right understanding of God’s absolute sovereignty and independence. You have to keep in mind, here, most of the Ephesians likely had Greek, pagan backgrounds. They probably grew up thinking there were many gods and goddesses. And because of their context, they had almost certainly been taught to believe that these so-called gods could get in each other’s way, or that human beings could manipulate the gods to get what they wanted.

But, Paul reinforces the truth, here: that the Christian God alone is the living and true God. And being God, means that his decisions and his actions aren’t decided or directed by someone outside of him. God isn’t a dog, that someone else is leading by a leash. God permits all that he wills. And he does whatever he wants. In Isaiah 46:9 and 10, the LORD declares “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,” And he’s the one who says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all I purpose.” Part of Paul’s emphasis on God’s purpose, then, is likely to make sure the Ephesians have a right view of God’s kingliness as God.

But at the same time, Paul is probably also concerned to help the Ephesians see the kindness of God. I can just imagine Paul sitting in a room with a number of new Christians in Ephesus, and all of a sudden, he says, “Hey guys, listen up – I have a question. Why do you suppose God sent Jesus to save you out of your idolatry and sin? Why do you think God did this for you?” And a few hands go up. One person says, “Well, I think it might be because I was wise enough to understand that Christianity was true.” But Paul says, “Good guess, but that’s not quite right.” Another person says, “I think it was because he saw how useful I would be, for serving the church.” Yet Paul responds right away, “No, no, it wasn’t because of your strengths.” Another person guesses, “Was it because I was so poor and pitiful? Was it because of my weakness that God saved me?” And Paul replies, “No, not because of your weakness either.”

Instead, Paul goes on to explain that the reason God saved wasn’t ultimately because of something in us, but because of what was in God. The reason He saved was entirely because he wanted to – because he chose to – because God, in the very core of his being, is a God of kindness. Our God is a God who delights in rescuing the helpless, washing the dirty, and atoning for the guilty. He operates this way according to his own purpose, according to his own benevolent intentions.

But though it makes sense that Paul would have emphasized God’s purpose here, to help the Ephesians understand the kingliness of God and the kindness of God, there’s good reason to believe that Paul’s main concern here was to promote the commendation of God – to promote the praise of God’s glorious grace.

Praise of His Glory

And this brings us to my third and final point, concerning the Praise of His glory. Paul connects the dots, & he realizes that if our salvation is 100% a gift from God, and through God – if it’s 100% motivated by God’s generous kindness, and his eagerness to save – then that means that God is 100% the hero. God deserves all the credit. Our salvation is Soli Deo Gloria – it bears testimony to the Glory of God alone.

We can see that this is Paul’s emphasis quite clearly, here in our text. Because in verse 6, Paul explains that God adopted us, according to the purpose of his will, with a specifical goal in mind: “to the praise of his glorious grace.” And just in case we missed it the first time, Paul goes on to say that we have received an inheritance – verse 12 – “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” And then finally, Paul speaks about the day that we will come into the fullness of our inheritance, and he says that that day, as well, will likewise be “to the praise of God’s glory.”

Again, Paul repeats himself three times. Again, Paul is emphasizing this as an important point. If we correctly understand the Bible – if we rightly understand God – if we realize who we are, as human beings – it should be clear, we were made to live to the praise of God’s glory – to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria). God should be adored and admired and appreciated as we gaze upward to the dazzling mountain peaks of his immortal majesty.

And you’ll notice, here, in our text, all this talk about praising God isn’t just a theoretical idea for Paul. He isn’t just telling the Ephesians that they should praise God, but when Paul contemplates divine glory, this is something that he himself is profoundly moved by. His words, here, flow like a rushing river that can’t be stopped or diverted – he bursts out in praise, in verse 3, to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” And Paul goes on and on, from verse 3 to the end of verse 14, to praise God for the glory of his grace.

Because, you see, Paul knew just how glorious this grace was! He had once operated as an enemy of God, fiercely opposed to Christianity. He had literally gone out with solders to capture and kill Christians. It was quite obvious to Paul that he was exceptionally undeserving to receive God’s kindness. He had been a murderer. And yet, God had mercy on him, and saved him. And this produced in Paul an earnest God-centeredness – a desire to serve God with all his resources, in all his decisions, for all of his life.

And various other parts of Scripture urges us toward this God-centeredness, as well. In Psalm 115, verse 1, we’re taught to cry out, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory…” In Jeremiah 9:23, God tells us, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me…” 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” And in 1 Peter 2:9 we’re reminded, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession” – and why has God done this for us? – so “that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The Scriptures press us to humble ourselves under God’s glory, to boast in God’s glory, to eat and drink for God’s glory. We’re told to work toward God’s glory and to speak for God’s glory. We can’t really escape it. Everything is about God and his glory. And the Westminster Shorter Catechism, summarizes all this by stating that “Man’s chief end” – [Man’s ultimate purpose] – is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

So it’s important to pause here and ask – are you actually living this way? I think every once in a while, you and I need to be reminded in very simple terms. The purpose of your life isn’t to make a name for yourself. You aren’t here to gain power, or influence, or an earthly palace. The purpose of your life isn’t to leave an inspiring legacy. Your main goal isn’t to have a beautiful or physically fit body. The purpose of your life isn’t your family, your finances, or your fun experiences. In fact, your life isn’t really about you at all.

Instead, we were made by God, for God, to the praise of his glorious grace. And let me point out here – we of course, are called upon to cry out with the angels, and praise God for his grandness. It’s right for us to revere him as the Creator of all things. He, of course, is the Emperor who wears the crown. His is the splendor that fills the throne room of heaven.

And yet we don’t just praise God for his grandness. We praise him for his grace. This is something that the angels in heaven can’t relate to – a dimension of God’s glory that they don’t quite understand. It’s a special gift, for you and I. It’s a treasure trove of blessings, that last for eternity. The King has plunged himself into the ocean, to rescue and resurrect the drowned sinner. The King has descended into the corroded junkyard of our sin, to salvage us and restore us. The King has gone to the gallows for our guilt, so that his bitter enemy can walk away acquitted and reconciled. We have seen the glory of the grace of God. And for endless ages to come, he will show us even more.

I can’t help but think that this should have some sort of effect on us. Once we’ve seen the glory of God, it makes no sense that we’d go on trying to live for the glory of self. We have a new commission – a new goal. The Christian’s life will be aimed at living Soli Deo Gloria – to the glory of God alone. So let’s ask God to help us to pursue this objective together. Let’s pray: